by David Friedman (The Hill/Consumers Union)  What if our government rolled back a program that saved consumers over $45 billion on fuel since 2010? What if they did this despite the fact that the industry involved …

by Curtis Tate (NorthJersey.com)  … The flammable biofuel is transported in trains that look virtually identical to the oil trains that have attracted so much attention, and controversy, in the country’s energy boom of the past decade.
But …

by Keith Laing (Detroit News)  U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, has introduced legislation that would allow automakers to apply credits for gas mileage improvements from model years as far back as 2009 to help comply …

by Bart Jansen (USA Today)  Railroads need to repair tracks better and continue to upgrade tank cars as they haul more hazardous cargo such as crude oil and natural gas, says a report Wednesday from the National …

by Keith Laing (Detroit News)  General Motors Co. CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday that Chinese officials should consider whether there is sufficient demand for electric cars before they move to ban gasoline and diesel engines.
Speaking at …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol and the Renewable Fuels Association are among the groups that testified at the U.S. EPA’s public hearing for the reconsideration of the …

(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  Growth Energy recently filed comments with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as it prepares an environmental impact statement (EIS) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) …

(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)  EPA will hold a public hearing on September 6, 2017 in Washington DC to hear public testimony on the Reconsideration of the Midterm Evaluation Final Determination.  EPA signed a Federal Register …

(Advantage News)  The Illinois Department of Transportation has approved implementation of a renewable energy demonstration project using grasses collected from mowing highway rights-of-way.
The work will implement the findings of a three-year study by a multidisciplinary …

by Aaron Karp (Air Transport World)  I expect to hear a lot of talk over the coming days, particularly at the IATA AGM in Cancun that starts June 4, about how the Paris climate agreement …

(Biofuels International)  Indian union minister Nitin Gadkari will urge the country’s finance minister to reduce the goods and services tax (GST) rates on cars that run on biodiesel, as well as hybrid vehicles, according to …

by Seppo Mikkonen (Neste)  According to recent estimates, there will be a stop to diesel-fueled traffic. The resistance to diesel increased before Easter, when Elżbieta Bieńkowska, EU Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, predicted that diesel …

(Office of Senator Gary Peters)  U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced they are reintroducing the bipartisan Vehicle Innovation Act to encourage investments in research and development of …

by Josh Boak and Jill Colvin (Associated Press/ABC News) President Donald Trump on Monday said he will explore the possibility of higher gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, suggesting an increase could pay for his ambitious …

by Damian Paletta (The Washington Post)  President Trump on Monday said he was open to raising the federal tax on gasoline and using the new revenue for his infrastructure package, a potentially major policy change as …

(NGT News)  California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed into law the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, which will raise $52.4 billion over the next decade through an increase in fuel taxes and …

by David Shepardson (Reuters) A trade group for automakers said on Tuesday it hopes to reach a deal with California and the Trump administration over vehicle fuel efficiency standards.
Mitch Bainwol, chief executive of the Alliance of …

by Jarrett Renshaw and Chris Prentice (Reuters)   … But the incident in Iowa underscores the growing risk of another serious accident along with the increasing volume of the biofuel being moved in unit trains that …

(International Civil Aviation Organization) The 36-State ICAO Council has adopted a new aircraft CO2 emissions standard which will reduce the impact of aviation greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate.
Contained in a new Volume III to …

by Robert Walton (Utility Dive)  The Sierra Club says six states have proposed legislation this year that would add to the cost of owning an electric vehicle, worrying clean energy advocates who say owning emissions-free …

by Timothy Cama (The Hill)  Auto dealers are joining the call from carmakers for President Trump to roll back his predecessor’s aggressive vehicle emissions rules.
At the group’s annual meeting in New Orleans, leaders and members …

(U.S. Department of Energy)  The Energy Department published a report titled, “The Transforming Mobility Ecosystem: Enabling an Energy-Efficient Future.”

Over the next decade, the transportation sector is poised for rapid change, propelled toward a new mobility …

(Environmental Protection Agency)  On November 30, 2016, the Administrator proposed to determine that the MY 2022-2025 standards remain appropriate and that a rulemaking to change them is not warranted. This proposed determination is based on the robust …

(The Trucker News Services)  NATSO, the national association representing travel plazas and truck stops, has called on the Department of Transportation to work with private, exit-based businesses within the confines of the existing law that …

by David Shepardson (Reuters)  U.S. regulators late on Monday denied a request by major automakers to extend the comment period on a key environmental analysis to determine whether government fuel efficiency requirements are feasible through …

(Environmental Protection Agency)  Standards address second-largest segment of U.S. transportation in terms of emissions and energy use — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jointly finalized …

(The Pew Charitable Trusts)  … Federal agencies are evaluating the standards that apply to model year (MY) 2022-25 passenger vehicles and will determine whether the auto industry is capable of meeting these long-term criteria. It is …

(Diesel Technology Forum)  The major environmental, economic and efficiency goals sought in California’s proposed sustainable freight plan will be attainable only with expanded use of advanced clean diesel technology, according to the Diesel Technology Forum.
These …

by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro)  Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is optimistic that auto manufacturers can meet the Obama administration’s goal of lifting the nation’s fuel economy standard to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
“I …

by Alex Guillén (Politico Pro)  Lawmakers must raise the gas tax and index it to inflation, or “America’s going to continue to be one big pothole,” former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today, using one …

by Patrick Madden (WAMU)  D.C.’s delegate to Congress says the government should ban ethanol and other flammable substances from being transported by freight rail through densely-populated areas like Washington, D.C.
When 16 cars derailed Sunday near the …

(Diesel Technology Forum)  Efforts to develop and “commercialize” emerging technologies in the time horizons considered may not provide substantial air quality benefits if these technologies do not find their way into the fleet in substantial …

by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative)  We have a tremendous opportunity to make the case in the Midterm Review in what EPA says will be a “data driven and transparent process.” We can show …

by Hillary Borrud (Portland Tribune)  An oil industry group announced Thursday it will abandon a bid to get voters to weaken or repeal Oregon’s low-carbon fuel standard. The Oregon Fuels Association had filed three initiatives targeting …

by Elizabeth Roche (Live Mint)  The government will set up a transport department, which will tie up with green funds and aid in converting buses into bio-diesel-, bio-ethanol-, electric- and CNG (compressed natural gas)-run vehicles, Union …

by John O’Dell (Forbes/Trucks.com)  With diesel fuel prices hovering at lows not seen in a decade, the smart money might bet against businesses developing products to replace the diesel engines and technology that keep the nation’s …

by Robin Vercruse (Fuel Freedom)  … Initially focused on reducing our nation’s petroleum use in the wake of the oil crisis of the 1970s, coupled with tailpipe emissions standards, the CAFE Standards have since become the …

by Brad Plummer (VOX)  … Note that the CAFE standards come up for a midterm review in 2017. Some automakers have been arguing that the rules should be weakened in light of recent low oil prices …

by David Shepardson and Paul Lienert (Reuters)  Surging demand for trucks and SUVs fueled by cheap gasoline is holding back improvements in U.S. fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions, a government report due out on …

by Danny King (AutoBlog)  Washington, Colorado, Virginia And Oregon Also On Growing List  —   These fees were put into place in order to offset the revenue shortfall from more fuel efficient vehicles, electrified powertrains, …

by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post) … The long-sought bill protects funding for transit from those who argued it should be cut loose from the highway bill, increases money for pedestrian and bicycle programs that also …

by Tony Antonelli (Next Gen Transportation News)  … Notably, three of the bills – H.B.4736, H.B.4738 and H.B.4614 (now P.A.174, P.A.176 and P.A.178, respectively) – directly impact the clean fuels industry.
P.A.174: Sponsored by State Rep. Michael …

by James P. Lenfestey  (Star Tribune)  …    Keystone would not, as Obama noted, have any noticeable economic benefit to the U.S., and probably would have a negative impact, since it could actually increase domestic …

(The Washington Post)  …  But the process apparently isn’t open enough to allow for a vote on the most obvious transportation solution: raising the gasoline tax to pay for the country’s roads and rails.
In the …

by Ian K. Kullgren  (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)  … One of the law’s biggest advocates threatened to join forces with opponents this week over proposed changes. A new environmental coalition launched ads attacking proposed ballot measures. Lawsuits …

(American Energy Alliance)  Today, the American Energy Alliance released a new survey examining voters’ attitudes toward transportation policy, specifically government support for electric vehicles. The results show that Americans are deeply skeptical of government making …

by Fran Flynn (Biofuels Digest/ Fleet Advantage)  On the putting green, the golfer who putts last has the advantage of watching his predecessor ‘show him the line. … On June 19, 2015 the Secretary of the …

(Union of Concerned Scientists)  The emissions and efficiency standards for vehicles have been a big success, according to a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Ten percent of new passenger cars and …

by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post)  Almost two years after a runaway tank-car train erupted in an explosion that killed 47 people in a Canadian town, the U.S. Transportation Department on Friday announced new …

by  Keith Laing (The Hill)  A bipartisan group of House members has filed legislation to hike the federal gas tax and index it to inflation to pay for a new transportation bill.  The measure would …

by Matthew Brown (Associated Press/Monterey Herald) Fuel-hauling tank cars need retrofits to prevent more explosive train wrecks — and the public can’t wait another decade for the improvements as has been suggested by industry, U.S. safety …

by Fawn Johnson (National Journal)  Some lawmakers say there needs to be a rebate for low-income families. Others call it a “user fee.”   Lawmakers may have finally run out of arcane accounting options to …

by Dana Milbank (The Washington Post)  Tom Donohue, the longtime president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, sounded ebullient as he gave his annual report on the health of American business Wednesday.
…
“It seems to be …

by Paul Bledsoe (The Washington Post) A dramatic 40 percent drop in oil prices since June has prompted new discussion aboutraising the long-static federal gasoline tax and has many states considering gas tax hikes as well. …

by Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A new report prepared by economic research firm The Brattle Group showed that the proposed Department of Transportation rule on rail tank cars could cost the economy as much …

by Jerry Perkins  (BioFuels Journal)  … RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen outlined the issues facing the Washington, DC-based ethanol advocacy organization which has 172 members, including 50 producer members, 79 associate members, 31 supporting members, and 12 …

by Sean Broderick (CHS/Ethanol Producer Magazine)  … Chinese MIR 162 (Syngenta trait corn) issues are still not resolved, leaving significant amounts of contracted tonnage that needs to move a different direction.  River logistics are still an …

by Curtis Tate (McClatchy News Service/Star Tribune)  The industry disputes finding that ethanol is more volatile than crude.
Ethanol producers are pushing back hard against new rail safety rules after a federal study found that ethanol …

by Bob Tita (Wall Street Journal)  Thousands of Tank Cars Are Likely to Be Scrapped or Redeployed Under Federal Safety Move
… With production capacity for new tank cars about 35,000 cars a year, industry analysts …

by Timothy Cama (The Hill)  The Obama administration Friday formally published proposals in the Federal Register to strengthen safety rules for trains carrying crude oil and other fuels, kicking off a two-month period in which the public can comment.
The …

(Growth Energy)  In response to a recent order by the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which called on specific rail providers to resolve backlogs of rail cars for grain orders, but failed to address the substandard …

by John Voelcker (Green Car Reports)   … Now, another country is discussing new regulations that would require both new and imported used vehicles to meet minimum gas mileage standards.
That country is the Kingdom of Saudi …

by Christopher Doering (Des Moines Register)  The ethanol industry Monday urged a federal regulator overseeing the nation’s railroads to provide relief for shippers of the renewable fuel who have faced delays.
Growth Energy, which represents ethanol …

by Paul Waldman (The Washington Post)  … The Congressional Budget Office says that starting next year, the fund won’t have enough money to meet its obligations, and keep in mind that means just the projects that are already …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Canadian government has announced a plan improve rail safety. It includes a requirement to phase out certain railcars used to carry ethanol and crude oil over a three …

(Renewable Fuels Association)  Today (April 23, 2014), Bob Dinneen, President and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), testified before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) forum on Rail Safety: Transportation of Crude Oil and …

by Bill Chameides (Duke University)  While the Highway Trust Fund did a fine job of funding infrastructure maintenance for decades, it now is sorely lacking. The taxes collected are nowhere near enough to fund what is …

by Blake Sobczak and Amanda Peterka (E&E Publishers Energy Wire)  Orlando, Fla., was home to a rare occurrence last week: The oil and ethanol industries, usually at each other’s throats, publicly agreed on something.
Addressing an …

by Patrick Rucker (TD Waterhouse)  Rail safety rules contemplated by U.S. regulators could require multibillion dollar upgrades to a tank car fleet that has helped spur domestic oil production and meet demands of a booming …

by Ashley Halsey III (The Washington Post)  With Congress facing a major shortfall in transportation funding next year, a House bill introduced Wednesday would raise the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents per gallon to close …

(US Senate Finance Committee)  This document is the fourth in a series of papers compiling tax reform options that Finance Committee members may wish to consider as they work towards reforming our nation’s tax system.  This …

by Douglas L. Faulkner with contributions from Jacques Beaudry-Losique (Biofuels Digest)  …We believe it is time for bioenergy industry leaders to take the initiative and chalk up a new comprehensive game plan, reflecting the new reality …

(Environmental and Energy Study Institute)  The Environmental and Energy Studies Institute (EESI) and the Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) held a briefing on the conclusions of the newly released …

By Josh Rathod (Advanced Biofuels USA) The Transforming Transportation ’13 conference, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, proved to be an exciting event for sustainable industry everywhere. During one of the primary …

by Jason Keyser (Associated Press/St. Louis Post Dispatch)  For two decades, one of the most commonly used types of rail tanker has been allowed to haul hazardous liquids from coast to coast even though transportation …

by Erin Voegele (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The U.S. EPA and U.S. Department of Transportation finalized new fuel efficiency standards on Aug. 28. The new corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards will increase fuel economy to …

by Josh Vorhees (Slate)  The Obama administration is set today to formally sign off on its latest round of strict new fuel-efficiency standards for the nation’s cars and trucks later.

The expected new fleet-wide average come …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  A coalition of agriculture and bioenergy groups, led by the 25x’25 organization, filed late comments with the U.S. EPA and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on June 28 to draw attention …

(FarmProgress.com)  Ag interest groups filed comments with the National Highway Traffic Safety Council and others Thursday calling for increased incentives for biofuel use.
A coalition of agricultural interest groups says proposed new corporate average fuel economy …

by Matt Compton  (White House Blog)  Today, (March 7, 2012) President Obama made a trip to a manufacturing plant for Daimler Trucks North America in Mount Holly, North Carolina. He was in the Tar Heel …

by Angela Greiling Keane and Jeff Green (Bloomberg)  President Barack Obama’s administration is buying fewer hybrid and electric cars and more vehicles that can consume both ethanol and gasoline to meet 2015 environmental goals, favoring older …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards unveiled by the agencies, which reportedly had the support of major automakers and environmental groups, would …

by David Shephardson (Detroit News)  Automakers asked the Obama administration Monday to make modest changes to a proposed boost in fuel efficiency standards for the 2017-2025 model years and to allow the use of some …

by Bob Sather (Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel/Wisconsin Bio-Industry Alliance)  This week, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) once again failed to support Wisconsin, instead choosing to target an industry that generates more than a billion dollars …

by David Goldberg (Transportation for America)  …To fill gaps in service, Opportunity Link two years ago led the creation of North Central Montana Transit.
NCMT is miraculous for a number of reasons.
First, it offers fixed-route service. Many …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  …Recently, it became clear what fuel Rep. Boren did like in his truck,  natural gas, when the Oklahoma congressman co-sponsored legislation that would pay American truck owners up to $64,000, per …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)  MOU covers feedstock readiness, sustainability, data sharing, fuels certification, plus development of new alternative fuel pathways in alcohol conversion, pyrolysis and synthetic biology.
Is the agreement, driven by the private sector …

(Diesel Technology Forum)  Diesel engines – which power more than 95 percent of America’s commercial trucks and 85 percent of its buses – will play a central role of the United States’ new effort to …

by Darren Goode & Darren Samuelsohn   (Politico)  Popular energy and environmental programs should prepare for a decade of spending cuts under the debt deal reached late Sunday between the White House and congressional leaders.
Less clear, …

(The White House)  President Obama today announced the next phase in the Administration’s program to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. These …

(American Motorcycle Association)  The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is asking a key U.S. House panel to include motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in any future study of ethanol-blended gasoline.
In a letter sent July 11 to …

(Bloomberg)  Automakers including Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. criticized an Environmental Protection Agency proposal to allow gasoline containing up to 15 percent ethanol in all cars and trucks in the …

(Advanced Biofuels USA)  Shale Natural Gas Does Not Belong in Pro-Environmental Legislation
A new legislative analysis by Advanced Biofuels USA concludes that the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) is bad for advanced biofuels and will add to …

by Robert Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA)  A proposal called the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) has recently been included in a number of bills (HR 1687 is one example) submitted for consideration by the US Congress. …

by Ray LaHood (Department of Transportation)  …Because of President Obama’s efforts and automakers’ innovations, Americans today have many more options for fuel-efficient vehicles than ever before.  And the new labels will help us make sense …

(The White House)  The Federal Government operates the largest fleet of light duty vehicles in America.  We owe a responsibility to American citizens to lead by example and contribute to meeting our national goals of …

by Ben Geman (The Hill/E2Wire)  Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) struck while the iron was hot Thursday and vowed to shepherd a plan through the panel that ends billions of dollars in tax …

by Tom Vilsack (The White House Blog)  …Today there are millions of so-called ‘flex fuel vehicles’ on the road that can use fuel containing up to 85 percent ethanol (E-85).  But too few filling stations …

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest)   Propel Fuels’ CEO Matt Horton explained to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources how the federal government must participate in establishing the alternative fuel infrastructure of the future.
“With …

by Kris Bevill (Ethanol Producer Magazine)  The Senate energy committee held a two-hour hearing April 7 to discuss proposed legislation to expand the domestic biofuels market, but expanded its scope through testimony and committee member …

(US Department of Agriculture)  Funding for Flex-Fuel Pumps Will Help Build Out Critical Infrastructure and Promote Greater Use of Biofuels
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that Americans will soon have more choices at the gas …

by Holly Jessen (Ethanol Producer Magazine)   During a U.S. Senate committee hearing on March 30, Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said that focusing on advanced biofuels for homegrown energy is in the best interest of the …

(Congressional Budget Office)  The federal government collects revenues from taxes paid by highway users, mostly from those levied on gasoline and diesel fuel, and credits them to the Highway Trust Fund. Those revenues and others are subsequently …

by Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA)  US Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) recently introduced Senate Bill S.599, the “Securing America’s Future with Energy and Sustainable Technologies Act” or SAFESTA. This bill …

by Henry Blodget (Huffington Post) …Over the long term, of course, given a finite supply of oil and ever-increasing demand for it, oil prices are going to keep on rising. And remaining in denial about …

by Darren Goode (Politico)  With Republicans controlling the House and ramping up oversight and investigations of the Obama administration, focus at least initially in the next Congress will be on the Senate to lay a …